Paris-based artist Rodica Iliescu, known as Rody, is notable for her playful portraits of early Parisian life. She was born and raised in Romania as the child of a painter, and always knew that the arts were her future. Growing up in a communist country, Rody describes how she would seek refuge in her own imagination. As an adult, she applies that childlike imagination to her artistic skill to create her artworks. Inspired by vintage scenes of the French capital, her paintings are steeped in nostalgia for a bygone era. They are romanticized fantasies of a time when men and women roamed the streets, wearing chic clothing and looking for love and adventure. Rody uses a limited palette of soft monochromatic tones, adding splashes of reds to excite somber grey backgrounds.

Like an old poster or postcard, every scene Rody creates feels intelligently staged. She employs an impressionistic-inspired style, which feels proverbially French. Using soft, light brushstrokes, the artist chooses to capture the light and emotion in each scene, rather than spoil the fantasy with too much detail. Her works are whimsical, light-hearted odes to a belle-epoque in French history, through which she invites the viewer to embrace the ways of the past without losing sight of the present.